Connecter for electrical conductors



Dec. 27

' w. F. HENDRY CONNECTER FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed Jan. '7. 1924 INVENTOR Zn ATTORNEY till:

relented Dec. 27, 1927;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"WILLIAM E. HENDIt-"ET, OF OESINING, NEW YORK,-ASEIG-NOR TO MANHATTAN ELECTRI- 4 CAL GOMEANY, INCORPORATED,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTER FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUUTORS.

.llpplication filed January 7, 19%. Serial No. 684,784.

This invinition relates to new and useful improvements in connectors for electrical conductors, and more particularly to a conneeter adapted for use with puslrbutton s vitches or the like and as a connecting clip or binding post.

with this object in View, the connector ll'orniiing the object oi the present invention is so constructed that it may be used in a push-luitton switch or the like without the necessity oi providing screws, rivets, etc.

whereby theswitch structure will be materially simplified.

The new and in'iproved connector is adapted for use also as a binding post on panels, dry cells, etc; it may be attached in arcadily accessible manner and forms a good connecting post for a large IIUHIlOUl. oil: wires of various gauges.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of a preferred eiulmdiu'ient thcreol and the appended claims.

in the drawings, lfig. 1 is a vertical cross section 01 a push-button switch in which the new and llIlPl'OVQCl eonnecter is used;

Fig' 2 is a bottom View of such switch;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the switch with the hell or easingreinoved;

4i is a perspective View of two connecters formed in accordance with the present invention and mounted in a push-button switch;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View along lines 5-5 of 3; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of three eonnecters mounted on a panel board.

The push button switch structure consists of a bell-shaped casing 1 having an aperture in its top though which. a button or plunger 2 oil insulating material projects. The plungcril has a collar 3 which euga the inside of the casing l. 'lhe lower part of the casing l is "Flared out. at 4:, 'loriuiim; a shoulitler on whirh they rest a strip oi inau lating material 5. 'lllie strip 5 is formed into ti: shape clearly illustrated in is. '1. and is held within the rlownwardl}; Pl'O lQClF ing shirt 8 by indentations ll, 7 formed tl'ierein. Furthermore, the strip 5, as well as the flared-out portion 4; oi? hell 1, are perforated 9, permitting the fastening oi? the pushbutton switchto a panel and the holding to gether oi the strip of insulation. 5 and the bell The insulating piece 5 is provided with notches 10 and ll. and two parallel oblong slots 12 and 13 near the center of the insulating piece 5, the slots and the notches being substantially in alignment with each other.

The connector proper is made of a continuous piece of resilient wire, bent to form an S 141, the end 01lthe 9 being bent up and continued up to the top of the S. The up wardly projecting tail of the S is at an angle of about to the vertical axis of the S 14'. From there the wire is bent outward at an angle oi about 90 with the upwardly projecti 11g tail of the 8. It is formed into an ear 15, the end oi? which is in line with the vertical axis of the S. The wire is brought bael: into line with the head of the S and then doubled back at 16, the doubledback portion 16 extending at such an angle that the lower portion of the S 14- ialls between the two legs oi the doubled-back portion 16, but normally in a somewhat higher plane. The upper part of the S 1 11 and the dm1bledbaclr portion or our 15 are normally in substantially the same plane.

The clip or connector, when used. in a p uslr button switch or the like, is assembled in the following n'iziuncr: The clip is pushed over a sheet or strip of insulating material 5, with the lowermost portion of the S 14-. engaging the upper and the doubled back portion 16 the lower surface of the strip of insulation 5. The clip is then pushed inwardly until the turned-down portion 17 of the wire falls within notch 10 or 11. At this time the lowermost portion of the S 14; is above the notch 12 or 13. However, the notch is not long enough to permit the lower portion of the S readily to fall through it. It is necessary to push back the S 14; against the resiliency of the car 15, whereupon the 3 will snap Jul 0 place with its upper end engaging the upper surface and its lower prruirurl.- portion ongaging the lower surface just adjacent to one end of the notch 12 or 13. The resil- 1i.enc' w)l the counei or is placed under suflicient strain firmly to hold it in place as a self-contained unit.

A second clip may now be put in place in exactly the same manner as above described. However, it will be shoved in from the opposite side of the insulating strip 5 than in the previous case, whereby the cars 15 of the two eli s will be in alignment with each other *ig. 3). At this stage of the assembly the cars 15 will contact with each other, because :both are substantially in the same plane. It will be necessary slightly to force up one of the ears 15 (see Fig. 1) to separate it from the other and, if the device is used in a push-button switch at a sufficient angle for it to engage the plunger 2 and hold it with collar 3 engaging the casing. By means of the button 2 the two ears may be forced to contact with each other, the button being returned to normal by the resiliency of the coi'mecter clip. \Vhen the push-button switch is placed into service the conductors 20 are connected and held in place by forcing one end of the \YllQIOlll'lGd into the 'doubled back portion 16 up aga nst the lower -surface of the strip 5 (see the position indicated' in'dotted lines in Fig. 5) until the of theS-lt and when the bent-back portion 16 is released, it will firmly clamp the wire in place in good contact with the connecter. The two ends of the wire constitute thus a separable resilient clamp for conductors which clamp is tightened when the push button is depressed.

Fig. 6 illustrates the manner in which a plurality of connecter clips may be mounted on a. board 21 by means of screws 22, so as to serve as connecting terminals or binding posts for wires :23. Inasmuch as the cars 15 are bent at an angle of about 15 to'the doubled-back portion 16, the clip may be easily fastened to a board with the screw 22 all the time accessible. A large number of wires of various sizes may be connected through one binding post and wires may be connected to any other part of the connecter clip. Obviously, the connector clip may be mounted on panels also in the manner illustrated in Figs. 143. In this case the car 15 serves as .the soldering terminal for one conductor and the S as the connecting point of a second conductor. 7

In addition to the above enumerated advantages,it should be noted also that the connecter constructed in accordance with the present invention takes a firm grip of a conductor because the resiliency of a relatively long piece of wire is utilized within a relatively small space. Furthermore, the

forming of such connector clips is a'simple and inexpensive automatic operation, the cost of manufacturing being further reduced because only one type of connecter need be manufactured for a great variety of The invention readily lends itself to, a variety of modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The gauge of the wire in the connecter should be selected with a view to the use that will be made of it. the convolutions and the form generally of the connector may be changer'l to suit the requirements encountered, etc.

What I claim is:

1. In a switch, a casing, a plunger of insulating material projecting iherethrough and adapted to perform a limited movement with respect thereto, a. strip o't insulation within said casing, two notches provided in opposite sides of said insulation, two parallel slots in said insulation, each substantially in alignment. with one oi said matches, two conneciers each 'iormed oi a single piece of resilient wire bent into an 3, an car. a bent--down and doubled-back portion, the doubled-back portion being in alignment with but normally in a diiferent plane than the S and the car being normally in substantially the same plane as the upper part of the S and at an angle thereto, each connector being held in place by the lower portion of the S protruding through a notch and the bent-down portion lying within the corre sponding notch, a conductor being clamped within the loop formed by the lower portion oi the S by the doubled-back portion and the plunger being held in its uppermost position by one of the cars which has been bent up out of contact with the other car.

2. A connector for electrical conductors comprising an insulating base having two holes therein and a pair of wire clips, each oi said clips being formed oi. a single piece of resilient wire having one end bent into a loop which projects through and grips the edges of one of the holes in said base, the ther end of said wire being bent at an an-- ejle around said base and formed into a loop through which the end oi said iirsi. mentioned loop projects, and the middle of said wire being bent into a ihird loop, the third loop of one of said clips being positioned over and spaced from the third loop of the other of said clips whereby a push button switch is formed.

A connector to! electrical conductors comprising a strip of insulaiion having a hole therein, and a piece oi wire having a loop at one end thereof positioned within the hole, said loop being deformed to secure the loop in said hole, the other end of said wire being formed into a loop and bent around the edge ot'the said strip and positioned around the first mentioned loop so as to secure a conductor between the first and second Vmentioned loops, and a third loop formed in said wire intermediate the ends thereof whereby when pressure is exerted on the said third loop the grip of the first and second mentioned loops on the said conductor is tightened.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of January, 1924.

WILLIAM F. HENDRY. 

